D'Antoni and Marbury disagree about refusal to play
The New York Knicks made two big trades within hours in an attempt to free up cap space to go after LeBron James and perhaps another big free agent in 2010.
After the trades, the Knicks were down to seven active players. The discussion that happened after that about Marbury becoming active (or his "refusal") Friday and Saturday is a matter of opinion.
Neither side is right in the whole situation. I'm definitely not a fan of Marbury. But D'Antoni should have been using the guy some. Coaches always talk about everything they do is to give the team the "best chance to win." But is D'Antoni?
After the trades, the Knicks were down to seven active players. The discussion that happened after that about Marbury becoming active (or his "refusal") Friday and Saturday is a matter of opinion.
"When the trades went down this afternoon, I said, 'Look Steph, one of the principals are gone, Jamal Crawford. There's 30 to 35 minutes out there, and they're yours if you want them. Are you ready to go?' " D'Antoni said.The Knicks split those 2 games: losing to the Bucks Friday and beating the Wizards Saturday.
"Refusing to play is when the coach tries to put you in the game and you say you're not going in," Marbury said, according to the [New York Post]. "If he asked me to go into the game, I was going into the game. That's why I taped my ankles."
Neither side is right in the whole situation. I'm definitely not a fan of Marbury. But D'Antoni should have been using the guy some. Coaches always talk about everything they do is to give the team the "best chance to win." But is D'Antoni?
